


Teamwork makes the dream work

by Blooperbloop



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Bickering, Fluff, In a way, Kissing, M/M, No Plot, Oneshot, Petty Arguments, Swearing, building furniture together, like genuinely no plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26519050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blooperbloop/pseuds/Blooperbloop
Summary: Teamwork, for them, was something that never came easy. As a way of exercising that newly found skill He Tian thought a team activity was in order, just to test things...in the form of an IKEA furniture set (they were grown ups, after all).
Relationships: He Tian/Mo Guanshan (19 Days)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 184





	Teamwork makes the dream work

**Author's Note:**

> Warning - swearing

Guan Shan flicked through the channels, nothing catching his interest. He did it again and again, mindlessly pressing the remote button. They still had leftovers they could heat for dinner, so nothing to make, and He Tian had actually kept his apartment decent for once, in time for his visit, so nothing to clean.

He wasn’t expecting to come to an empty flat. Initially when he opened the door (with the keys He Tian had given him, decorated with a heart-patterned glaze that he hated because the hearts had smiles. And they were hearts, goddammit, he was a full grown man) and heard nothing he’d assumed He Tian was hiding, ready to scare him. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Looking like an idiot he navigated around the empty apartment like he was anticipating something to jump out at every corner, nook, and cranny, creeping around on tip toes while bent into an odd crouch, keeping low.

When it became evident that no one was in Guan Shan scowled at himself in embarrassment and texted He Tian a haughty _‘Where are you?’._

As it turned out He Tian had gone to pick up some shelving and wouldn't be ‘too long’, which didn’t mean anything because He Tian operated on his own schedule and time seemed to bend differently for him.

Guan Shan didn’t think much of it because He Tian’s apartment was hugely under-furnished and dressing it up _at least a little_ would be a monumental improvement, anything to fill up the space.

Considering that He Tian was subscribed to all sorts of premium services nothing caught his interest. There wasn’t enough time to start a movie but too much time to just idly wait.

A rough half hour later he felt a breath on his ear. Due to him having been focused on the same cycle of channels for all this time he turned into the sensation without much reaction, brain dulled. When he finally registered and snapped out of his trance Guan Shan squeaked and flailed his arms to shoo away the face that hovered beside his.

“My gosh,” He Tian said, his smile unbalanced, “So jumpy.”

Guan Shan scowled, clutching his shirt by the area over his heart. “Maybe if you didn’t sneak up on me like that I wouldn’t be.”

“No, you were just too busy watching-“ He Tian gave his attention to the channel that Guan Shan had randomly landed on, wrinkly hands with a stack of bangles lathering a whole chicken with seasoning. “-Sensual cookery.”

“Shut up, s’not sensual cookery, I’m not even watching.” He muttered and turned the TV off, ears red.

Genuinely, he wasn’t sure how He Tian had managed to come in with a large cardboard parcel, the shelves he was on about, without making a single sound. Guan Shan hadn’t zoned out _that_ much. _Snake,_ he thought. 

“I thought this would be a nice bonding activity, superordinate goals and all that, work towards a shared cause.”

“What do you mean bonding activity?”

“We’re going to build it together. Work like the amazing team that we are.” He Tian slung an arm around Guan Shan’s shoulder and tugged him into his side, bopping Guan Shan’s nose at the word ‘team’.

Guan Shan’s head immediately supplied him with scenes of them trying to work together, instances that skewed the meaning of the word ‘teamwork’ off the rails, deviating from the concept completely.

“It’s your shit, why do I have to help?” He countered, automatically on the defence despite really not wanting to go back to the TV, remaining planted where he was, his breathing in sync with He Tian’s.

“It’s ours. You leave your stuff strewn about everywhere here so I thought we could just put our clothes and the like together.”

“I- what? When have I ever left my stuff ‘strewn about’, I always fold it away!”

He Tian had already gotten a knife to cut through tape, unaffected.

Soon enough the units they were meant to put together were laid out on the floor. After yanking out all the pieces of tape that He Tian had managed to stick onto his back Guan Shan flicked through the manual, eyes taking in the information.

The diagrams were all black and white and there were a bunch of numbers that corresponded to different parts of the text. Guan Shan lost his interest faster than he typically lost his temper and chucked the instruction book out of the way, the wall of words, numbers, and monochrome diagrams hurting his eyes. He’d use his brain and do this the old fashioned way.

A mere five minutes in it was clear that neither Guan Shan nor He Tian (nor the both of them combined) had enough brain power to construct anything.

“Where is this meant to go? It doesn’t fit into the base.” Guan Shan mumbled, toying with the metal rod in his hands, unable to picture where it would need to placed.

He Tian tinkered with two pieces of plastic boards that looked like they should be able to clasp together but simply wouldn’t. He shrugged his shoulders and angled himself into Guan Shan’s space so that he could take a look.

“We need to see what it’s supposed to look like.” he said, still trying to mash the plastic pieces together, repeating the same action over and over, expecting it to do something different. “This isn’t as intuitive as I thought it’d be. Where’s the booklet?”

“I dunno I threw it somewhere.”

He Tian tsk’ed, voice light. “Such a primitive being you are. Did all the characters and numbers scare you?”

“Shut up.”

After managing to integrate a few pieces together Guan Shan noticed the bout of silence on He Tian’s end. He turned to find him laying on his side, watching Guan Shan over his fringe with semi-open eyes.

Guan Shan crawled over to him and gave him a shove, bottom lip rising into a firm pout. “You bring this over just so I make it? What happened to teamwork?” He bumbled, avoiding the hands that were trying to drag him closer.

“Just taking a break. You can join me, it’s nice and cool here.” He Tian patted the space by his front, an action that was meant to entice.

“You lazy ass, you’re not just taking a break, watch how I’m gonna finish the whole thing by myself.” He moved away from He Tian to avoid being trapped in his grip and dutifully continued with the shelves.

Eventually He Tian did re-join him, surprisingly, and they continued building up the frame of what Guan Shan had managed to sort out. They got distracted here and there, mostly due to He Tian trying to whap Guan Shan’s ass with whatever he could reach him with and generally running them off track. Guan Shan attempted to get him back but failed each time.

He couldn’t say he didn’t have fun. He Tian’s antics weren’t truly disruptive (well, they were but it was light-hearted) and his whining at Guan Shan paying more attention to the shelf than to him made him chuckle (quietly, subtly – he didn’t want to inflate his ego anymore, it would burst).

These days a gloom seemed to surround He Tian. He went into intense bouts that stretched on for far too long, different to the mopey episodes he went through before.

He’d only noticed recently. He Tian didn’t say anything and Guan Shan wasn’t the type to ask. He had tried though, despite it going against his instinct, to be softer with him, to bend where He Tian wouldn’t.

Seeing him now, relaxed on the floor and smiling at Guan Shan’s annoyance like the bully that he was, alleviated a certain type of pressure off his chest. It didn’t mean anything was sorted, Guan Shan was sure something would eventually give and He Tian would go back to being broody for months at a time, but it provided a temporary happiness that He Tian deserved, loath as he was to admit it.

He Tian scuttled over to sit behind him, arms coming to slip between Guan Shan’s, using this as leverage to pull him into He Tian’s front. “What are we thinking about?” He whispered, lowering his voice to accommodate for their proximity.

“That I just built a furniture thing from scratch, no thanks to you.”

It was a bit shoddy, some of the edges didn’t line up as well as they should’ve, but the functional aspect was there.

He Tian’s chuckle scratched against the side of his neck. “A furniture thing, very eloquent. I’m happy you included me in your thank you speech, I nearly teared up.”

Guan Shan rolled his eyes. “Chill with the self-praise, the only thing you helped with is to make me realise you can’t concentrate for longer than two seconds.”

“Yeah? I thought you already knew that.”

“Oh shove off.” Guan Shan groaned, bumping back into He Tian without any true force.

He was gripped tighter in return and He Tian snickered a final time before manoeuvring Guan Shan to face him, chest to chest, landing an introductory peck on the corner of his mouth. Guan Shan sighed but was the first to start them off properly, lips promptly following He Tian’s. Hands sneaked under his shirt and Guan Shan hugged his arms around He Tian’s shoulders, bringing their faces even closer.

A second before he’d closed his eyes fully, just before he succumbed to He Tian’s heavy gaze, a brief light glare caught in his vision. He squinted in its direction, tilting his head slightly with He Tian still sucking on his lips to get a better view and saw a screw laying near the sofa.

He Tian’s hands tightened on his torso, impatient, but Guan Shan stopped their movement and steadied himself with a forearm by He Tian’s head, popping them apart.

“Why is there still a spare screw?” he grumbled, voice breathy, unaffected by He Tian’s lips on his jaw, angry gaze set on the metal.

He Tian nipped at his chin, not turning to look. “Who cares? Kis- ow!”

Guan Shan used the hand he had over He Tian’s belly to stand himself, an action that forced blunt impact straight into He Tian’s stomach.

He saw his lips curl down and while one hand rubbed his stomach the other grabbed Guan Shan by the ankle, moving quick to topple him back to the floor. Guan Shan landed with a winded ‘oof’ and after realising how close his face had come to planting itself into the floor a growl followed.

“You ass, it means the fucking shelf isn’t done, we messed up!” 

“It’s fine, standing proud and stiff, much like something else right now. Forget about-“

Guan Shan purposefully ignored He Tian’s predicament. “It’s not fine, you’re meant to use every bit they have in the packs, dimwit.”

“Screw that. C’mere.”

“No you- “ Guan Shan’s face immediately cringed into itself, features crunching like he’d just sucked on a lemon. “Wow, do you think you’re funny?”

“Very, now-“

“Screw _you,_ okay. I don’t want it to fucking collapse and get splinters everywhere!”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“We were in the middle of something else, I’m not doing that now.”

They stared at each other, both with their arms crossed, neither looking to back down. Guan Shan breathed hard from his earlier semi-shouting and He Tian regarded him with cold, unflinching eyes, a hand moving down to nurse his stomach.

\-------

The two spent their evening de- and re- constructing the shelf (again), He Tian obediently putting it together to the instructions that Guan Shan read out next to him with a vaguely sulky expression that almost, _almost_ made Guan Shan feel bad. He made sure they followed everything, spending an extra ten minutes searching for the manual and this time following it to the very last step.

He Tian aired all of his questions, choosing to ignore him and respond with glares like the stroppy five year old that he was, but it got the job done, and Guan Shan was at peace, no screw or bolt or _anything_ out of place.

When it was finally sorted he arranged their stuff to fit into the shelving, liking how their things, different as they were, complemented each other so well.

He looked to He Tian, who'd refused to be with him on the sofa, opting to lay on a separate armchair.

"You know, in the end, at least we did it together."

He Tian humphed, however as the night went on slowly crept to sit with him, eventually falling asleep with his head on Guan Shan's chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I don't even know what this is lol, but I hope it was enjoyable, just something simple and light-hearted. Thank you for reading!


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